Swan Lake
by Gleelover113
Summary: Ballet is her life and this is the role of her dreams. Everything she'd ever wanted since she was five was being the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. But then she gets to know a very special person and before she knows it she finds herself having to choose between what she does best and who she loves most... (I suck at summaries :D)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello :) This is a random idea I had the other day while watching "Black Swan" (the movie is awesome!). I don't know why :/ But anyway, this story will NOT be based of Black Swan but it may be that you'll find some parallels later on (not necessarily, I wanted to warn you just in case). So, enjoy!**

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Rachel's eyes were glued to the huge mirror in front of her. Critically she observed herself and tried to find a blemish in her movements. Right foot, left foot, plié, demi-plié…she knew the exercises by heart. She listened to the music closely and danced through every step, every pirouette as exact as possible because that was what people expected from her. Perfection. In the room there were five other dancers plus her dance instructor Ms July but Rachel didn't even notice them. In 17 years of ballet she learned to focus on no one but herself. The other girl in the group were all fairly tall, blonde and extremely slender, almost lean (she was one hundred percent sure that at least half of them were bulimic or something) and Rachel knew that she wasn't allowed to compare herself to them because deep in her heart she was aware of the fact that they were a lot more attractive than she was. She was too small, too strong jawed and her nose was way too big. She may was the best dancer among them and definitely the one who wanted it the most but that wasn't everything. But despite that she was convinced that sooner or later someone would recognize her qualities and then she'd become a famous ballerina, just how she had always wanted it. She couldn't remember a day in her life when ballet wasn't the most important thing. Her dads had sent her to a ballet class at the tender age of five and she had fallen in love with the fluid movements and graceful poses instantly. And now here she was, 23 years old and a student at one of the best dancing schools in New York. With a content smile on her face she bent down and lifted her leg to perform a pose called Arabesque. She held it for a few seconds and waited for a change in the music until she heard someone clearing its throat.

"Rachel, lift your leg higher" her dance teacher said and threw her a critical look. Rachel bit her lower lip and tensed her muscles to push her leg even higher.

"Higher" Ms July said and Rachel desperately tried to bring her leg higher but it didn't work. Then she felt her teacher's hands on her leg and then a sharp pain ripped through her. With a single, quite brutal jolt Ms July pushed her leg higher and Rachel felt as if several ligaments in her leg were about to tear. She gasped quietly and tried to breathe deeply to suppress the pain. Tears started to form in her eyes but she didn't allow them to fall. This was nothing new. It was just the way it was. It something wasn't perfect you had to make it perfect, no matter how much it hurt. Ms July forced her to hold the pose for a few seconds until she let go of her leg again. Rachel breathed out in relief and slumped together unintentionally. Her entire body lost tension which was extremely ungraceful and beyond embarrassing.

"Rachel, please don't slump together like that. This is a ballet class, not a weird hip hop lesson. Posture please" Ms July said and then she walked away and towards the next dancer. Rachel tried to regain control of her herself and then she lifted her arms to continue her exercises. Sure, being criticized like that hurt a damn whole lot but she had gotten so much criticism in her life and by now she knew how to deal with it. She looked to her right side and saw Ms July talking to another dancer and it was obvious that the girl was close to crying. Rachel had learned how to suppress tears. She cried only when she was alone and no one could see it. She sighed and looked into the mirror again to stare at herself and to perfect her movements. A pirouette, two fouettés, plié…and then she saw in the mirror the door of the room being opened. Someone switched off the music and everyone, including Rachel, turned towards the door. There, in the doorframe, stood a very tall man in poor clothes and with a broom in his hands. Rachel knew this guy. He was around the ballet school all the time and Rachel didn't know exactly what his job was but apparently he had to take care of the cleanup efforts because usually she saw him with a broom or a mop or something in his hands. Sometimes Rachel met him in the hallway and he always smiled at her and she had to admit that it was a damn cute smile. He had freckles all over the bridge of his nose and though he always wore poorly looking and a little dirty clothing she found that he was handsome.

"Hello, Mr Hudson?" Ms July said and shot him a questioning look.

"Yes, hello Ms July. I'm sorry for interrupting but the headmaster send me and I'm supposed to tell you that he wants to talk to you" Mr Hudson said. Rachel didn't know why but his voice sent chills up and down her spine. The good kind of chills, the ones you have when you're really excited or happy.

"Of course. Thank you Mr Hudson. Ladies, I'll go and see the headmaster. You go on with your exercises" Ms July said and with that she rushed past Mr Hudson. All the other girls returned to their dance and someone switched on the music again but Rachel's legs refused to work. She stared at the tall man in the doorframe and suddenly his lips turned up into a smile. He smiled directly at her and Rachel couldn't help but smile in return. Then she blushed and looked to the ground. When she tilted her head back up he was gone.

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"Daddy!" the blonde girl exclaimed and threw herself into her father's arms as he entered the apartment.

"Hey, Gwenny. How was your day?" Finn asked and hugged her close to his chest.

"Cool. Aunt Tana bought me an ice cream" his five year old daughter Gwendolyn said and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Then Finn placed her back on the ground and the two of them walked into the apartment.

"Finnocence. It was about time. The little munchkin over here kept asking for you for the last two hours" his best friend Santana said. Finn smiled at her and Santana walked over to him.

"Ok, Gwenny has to go to bed. Thank you so much, San" he said and hugged the tall Latina tightly.

"You say that every day. And I tell you every day that it's no big deal" she replied and nudged his side.

"I don't know what I'd do without you. You're the best" he said sincerely.

"I know" Santana replied and smirked. Then she bent down and hugged Gwendolyn. The little girl pressed a kiss to her cheek and then grabbed Finn's hand.  
"See you tomorrow, Aunt Tana" she said and then Finn led her out of the apartment. While he walked down the stairs with Gwendolyn on his hand he thought about how much he owed Santana. Ever since he had started working at the dance school Santana watched his precious daughter every day. She was an author and she had the possibility to work at home so she had accepted to watch her for him. Finn had become a father when he had been nineteen and two month after the birth, Gwenny's mother Quinn had placed the baby on his doorstep and had signed all rights over to him because suddenly she hadn't wanted the baby anymore. Finn however had loved his little girl so deeply and he had raised her on his own. But a little over a year ago he had lost his job and ever since then they barely had enough to live. So he had taken a part time job as a cleaner at the ballet school to earn at least a little money. And now he walked down the streets of New York with Gwenny on his hand on the way to their tiny and beyond dilapidated apartment. Just like every day.

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**Continue or not? Leave a review and tell me what you think :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, here's chapter 2 :) I'll try to update the story every Friday because I think I need at least a week to write a new chapter because I have a lot of stress going on right now :(**

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_F__ive years ago_

_It was 2:30 AM and Finn sat in his tiny room in front if his computer playing Call of Duty. His mind was empty and his brain refused to work. He knew that as a father he wasn't supposed to play Call of Duty or any other video game for that matter but he needed to get his mind off of things and playing a video game was still better than getting drunk or something. He knew that he had to be a role model from now on and really, he didn't want anything more than that but Gwendolyn was only ten days old and to say that he and Quinn were stressed out was the understatement of the century. Since Gwenny had been born Finn had spent most of the time at Quinn's house to help her taking care of the baby and as cute as Gwendolyn was, she was a bunch of work. They constantly had to feed her or change her diaper or something and when he returned home in the evenings everything he did was collapsing on his bed and falling asleep instantly. He didn't have the time to do homework anymore or study and he already had had some serious trouble with his teachers because of that but what on earth did they expect from him? He was only eighteen, had to taking care of a baby and in a few weeks he was supposed to graduate from High School._

_ He was so glad that his mother Carole had talked to the principal and that she never blamed him for anything. She was such a supportive grandma and helped him and Quinn wherever she could but her strength was limited as well and she already had to provide for him and herself. So now he sat there in front of the computer and stared at the screen like a maniac, desperately trying to win a battle but then he heard the doorbell ring. First he didn't even notice but when it rang a second and a third time it finally got to him. His mother was already asleep which meant that he had to answer the door and while he went downstairs he thought about who would come and visit them at 2:30 in the morning? He shuffled through the hallway and when he opened the door and the cold autumn air grazed his face he heard a very familiar crying. He looked down at the doormat and two big amber eyes stared up at him. He would recognize these eyes everywhere because they looked pretty much like his own and there was only one person these eyes could belong to. Finn blinked a few times because he could hardly believe it. There laid, on his doorstep and wrapped up in thick blankets, his daughter. Finn quickly picked the bundle up and rocked the baby back and forth in his arms._

"_Shh, baby girl. It's ok, daddy's here" he whispered and held her close to his chest. As soon as she heard his voice her crying faded and she only stared up at him with big eyes, making a very cute noise. Then he shut the door with his foot and carried Gwendolyn over to the living room where he unwrapped the blankets and placed her back in his arms. Gwenny immediately started grabbing the fabric of his t-shirt with her tiny hands and snuggled her head in to his chest while he rocked her and kissed her head every now and then. Her eyelids fluttered and soon her breath was even and deep. Finn carefully placed the sleeping baby on the soft cushion of the couch and when he unfolded one of the blankets to cover her a piece of paper glided to the ground. Finn picked it up and unfolded it._

_Dear Finn,_

_I know you're confused right now and that's ok. I placed Gwenny on your doorstep because I want you to raise her. In the past few days I realized that I'll never be the mom she deserves because I'm not ready. But you're ready to be a dad, Finn, I know it. You're so great with her and I see that you both love each other so much already. Do you remember the day I told you that I wanted to give her up for adoption and you talked me out of it because you wanted to keep her so badly? Well, I let you talk me into keeping her and you made me believe that it was the right decision but honestly I never thought that I was ready to be a mom. I'm so glad that you two found each other and you have a special connection to her I'll never understand. I signed all rights over to you so legally she isn't my daughter anymore. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret her but she never really was mine. We won't have a connection anymore and the only time we'll see each other is at school. Graduation is in a few weeks so after that it'll be as if I never was there. I hope that you take good care of her and please don't hate me for it._

_I'm sorry, Quinn_

_Finn gasped and tried to deal with the ice cold feeling of fear that started in his stomach and spread out into every fibre of his body. He couldn't do that. He couldn't raise Gwendolyn on his own. Raising her with Quinn had seemed scary enough but alone? Then he turned around and looked at her. Quinn was right, he really had wanted her so badly. And he still did. She was his tiny, little miracle and he loved her to the moon and back. He couldn't give her away. The thought of someone else raising his precious daughter made him want to throw up and in that moment he knew that he'd raise her, whatever it took._

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The next day Finn woke up because of the shrill sound of his alarm clock. He moaned a little and rubbed his eyes to wipe away the sleep in them and then he reached over to switch of the alarm clock. Then he bent over and nudged Gwendolyn's shoulder gently. Finn and Gwendolyn had to sleep in one bed because the tiny apartment they lived in had only one bedroom which was too small for two beds.

"Time to wake up, sleepyhead" he whispered and gently shock her body again. Gwendolyn's eyelids fluttered open and she rubbed her eyes tiredly. Normally she gave Finn a beaming smile in the morning but today Gwenny didn't look that well. Her face wrinkled and a tiny tear rolled down her cheek.

"What's up, baby girl?" he asked and wiped the tear away with his thumb.

"Daddy, my stomach hurts. And my head" she wailed and climbed into Finn's lap where she collapsed in his arms. Finn rocked her gently back and forth.

"Looks like you've caught the flu, honey. It'll get better soon, I promise. Do you feel hot too?" he asked and looked at her concerned. Her face was extremely pale, only her cheeks were bright red.

"Yes" she replied. Finn tucked her blonde hair strands behind her ears and put his hand onto her slightly sweaty forehead. She was hot like a hotplate.

"You seem to have a fever, baby" he said and kissed her forehead.

"Daddy, I don't want to go to Aunt Tana's today. I want you to stay with me" she said and snuggled further into his arms. Gwendolyn always was very clingy when she was sick.

"You know I have to work today" he said compassionately and stroked her head. He knew that he couldn't stay at home just like that even though it broke his heart to leave Gwenny alone when she was in such a bad condition.

"Please, daddy" she whispered and a tear rolled down her cheek. Finn couldn't stand seeing his little girl crying and it made him want to cry too.

"Look, honey. It's just a few hours. Aunt Tana will take good care of you and I'll be back before you know it" he said and kissed her cheek.

"No, please. Daddy, please. I don't want to be alone. I'm scared" she said and clung to him even tighter. Finn knew that he couldn't possibly leave her alone. Her terrified face was enough to convince him. But he had to work because he just couldn't risk getting fired because then they wouldn't have anything at all and probably would have to sleep under the nearest bridge or something.

"Baby, then I have to take you with me to the ballet school. Do you really want that?" he asked. Gwendolyn lifted her head and nodded tiredly.

"But I won't have that much time for you. I think you'd have to go and watch a few of the ballet lessons while I do my job" he said and a weak smile spread over Gwenny's face.

"I always wanted to see the ballerinas" she said and hugged her father tightly.

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Rachel always was at the dance school before the others came. She wanted to have the big practice room to herself for a while before the lesson started because she could concentrate the best when she was alone. The sun already shone through the big windows and dipped the room into a mysterious glow. Rachel loved that. She turned on the music and soon soft piano tunes filled the room. Then she went over to the barre and started the simple warm-up exercises to stretch her muscles. She was completely focused on the music and had blocked everything else out and when she heard the clicking of the door she winced. She checked her watch but the others and Mrs July weren't supposed to come for another thirty minutes.

"Hello?" she asked and switched off the music. A small blonde girl peeked around the door shyly and Rachel wondered who this little girl was.

"Hello" the girl said and blinked.

"Come in" Rachel said invitingly and slowly the girl walked into the room. She had bright red cheeks and a scarf was wrapped around her neck and Rachel found that she looked kind of sick. Rachel walked towards her and a tiny smile spread across the girl's face.

"Who are you?" Rachel asked and bent down to the level of the girl. Aside from the red cheeks she had a nothing but beautiful little face. Cute freckles covered the bridge of her nose which were oddly familiar to Rachel. She had already seen them somewhere.

"I'm Gwendolyn Hudson" she said and looked to the ground bashfully. Hudson. Rachel thought about it for a while and then her mind finally got it. Finn Hudson. This must be his daughter. It was quite obvious from where she got those cute freckles.

"Hi, Gwendolyn. I'm Rachel Berry" she said and the girl giggled a little.

"Berry. That's like the fruit" she said and looked up. She had brown amber eyes and if Rachel wasn't mistaken they were exactly the same as Finn Hudson's.

"So, what are you doing here?" Rachel asked and smiled at the little girl.

"I am sick and I didn't want to be alone so my daddy had to take me with him. He works here and he said that I could go and watch some of the ballet lessons" she said and looked to the ground again, her cheeks growing even redder.

"So you like ballet, huh?" Rachel asked and lifted Gwendolyn's chin up.

"Yeah. I think ballet dancers are very pretty. Just like you" she said and looked at Rachel admiringly. Rachel beamed and the girl smiled back.

"You're waaaay prettier" she said and nudged Gwendolyn's side. The girl giggled and Rachel found it nothing but adorable.

"So, you want to stay and watch?" she asked and Gwendolyn shock her head excitedly. She turned to run over to one of the chairs but stopped after a few steps and pressed her hand to her forehead.

"Are you ok?" Rachel asked concerned.

"My head hurts because I have the flu" she replied and hung her head. Rachel smiled at her comfortingly and then she picked the blonde girl up and carried her over to one of the chairs, putting her down gently.

"Be careful with your head" Rachel said and winked at her before she went over to the barre and started dancing, making Gwendolyn smile brightly.

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**Reviews? Please let me know what you think :)**


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